Key Issues

From stopping wasteful road projects to tracking pedestrian fatalities
to winning improvements in transit service, the Tri-State Transportation
Campaign works on a variety of issues in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
We use a combination of policy, legal, planning, organizing, and media
skills to get things done. Below you can find links to reports,
newsletter stories, and other information about the issues we work
on.

Changing the basic terms of transportation planning and breaking the vicious circle of road widening, sprawl development and traffic congestion is one of Tri-State's core missions. We advocate for reforms that connect transportation with land use, and fight projects that threaten the region with sprawl.

Linking land use to transportation decisions is vital for a more efficient transportation system. Tri-State works with local governments and developers to ensure that development does not reinforce car-dependent patterns.

Managing congestion with simple economic signals, like higher tolls during rush hour, is the only way to keep essential traffic moving in our crowded region. We advocate for traffic-busting initiatives such as high-occupancy toll lanes, congestion pricing, and cashless tolling.

A fair and balanced transportation system ensures equal access to the destinations that are important to everyone’s lives – jobs, shopping, medical facilities, entertainment, friends, family, and other social occasions. In our region, lack of an car should limit no one’s opportunities.

States in our region spend a tiny fraction of transportation funding on bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure -- even as many of our counties see some of the highest pedestrian fatality rates in the country and children do not have safe routes to walk or bike to school.

Transit systems in our region have clawed back from prior decades of disinvestment, but are still inadequate and do not have the capacity to support continued economic growth. We fight for well-designed, cost-effective projects that will improve the regional transit network.

States in our region struggle to provide the funding needed to maintain the existing transportation system and to build transit expansion projects that are vital to the region's economic future. Tri-State works to expand transportation funding, and create sustainable funding mechanisms.

Regional truck traffic will surge over the coming decades, with significant consequences for the region’s quality of life. We promote cleaner alternatives to trucks and
increased public commitment to rail freight investment, and empower citizens to protect their neighborhoods.

Too often, citizens with an interest in transportation issues are stymied by bureaucratic agencies and an opaque political process. Tri-State works toward a transparent and collaborative planning process that connects citizens with government, and seeks to empower local advocacy.